


Curse

by silver_shot



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:01:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21795775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_shot/pseuds/silver_shot
Summary: The blonde lifts her chin up from her palm. She blinks once – twice, “shut it forehead, don't over think this. I'm telling you now, there is a monster within those woods!”.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 12
Kudos: 76





	Curse

Oh sure, the town had its own quaint charm; that family owned bakery established from generations back, the large oak that will forever remain undisturbed in the middle of the town's famous park, the resident blonde whose enthusiasm doubled over into volume, “you're here!” Ino screams.

Sakura smiles, and waves over her friend.

In a test of composure, Sakura holds back from joining Ino in celebration. She doesn't scream, and jump, and run over to the blonde – but she wants to.

However, she has only just arrived to the village. Theatrics can be reserved for later.

Preparing herself for the impact, Sakura grounds her feet as Ino's form comes crashing into hers for a very welcomed hug. “I've missed you so much,” Ino murmurs into her friend's hair.

Sakura giggles, “come on pig, it hasn't been that long”.

.

.

It has.

“Years, in fact,” Ino adds.

Without any honest rebuttal, Sakura concedes victory to the blonde with a simple shrug.

Ino nods, “but at least you're here now”.

For a job, a new position – or as Tsunade had so simply put it, “the medical facilities are unacceptably sub par in the outer villages of this country...we need to fix this”. Which of course had meant Sakura would be the one to personally set forth into one of the larger yet isolated villages in the country to begin said plan.

“ _I'm still helping_ ,” Tsunade had roared after the fact. 

Which she was.

In a way

Regardless, with the motion set in place, a tour of the village was assured. Ino had been living,  _conveniently enough_ , in this village for three years now. She'd followed her heart, or rather, “Sai fell in love with this village, and didn't want to leave. Which meant I couldn't leave”.

Sakura cheekily points out the subtle bitter tone in that remark of Ino's.

The blonde pauses, then stutters, “forehead...– shut up”.

Which in itself as a reply gave away much more than Ino had most likely intended.

In a terrible attempt at levity, Sakura begins to giggle.

Ino pinches her friend on the shoulder.

.

.

“A monster?”

“That's right”.

“Like...like something out of a fairy tale?”

Ino shrugs, “yea...but this is actually true”.

Sakura snorts, “you don't actually believe any of this do you?”

Ino nods, and assures Sakura that she very much believes the rumours, “you haven't lived here before, but I promise you Sakura, people have seen this creature. Its a beast”.

Sakura raises her eyebrow, “really”

“Oh, don't give me that look”.

“Ino...”

“Alright forehead, I know you don't believe me, but I swear on my heart that it is true. Late at night, people have spotted a creature roaming deep within the woods”.

“Did these stories end up with the creature ripping them into shreds, never to be seen again?”

Slowly, Ino nods, “yea...probably”.

Sakura exhales with a chuckle, “if they'd never been seen again, then where would the stories have come from, Ino?”

The blonde lifts her chin up from her palm. She blinks once – twice, “shut it forehead, don't over think this. I'm telling you now, there is a monster within those woods!”.

.

.

It takes Sakura one week of living within the village to realise that this rumour spreads to a reach far greater than merely Ino's vivid fantasies.

Which surprises her to some degree.

Most folklore, rumour, or ghost story had some grain of truth. Sakura wouldn't deny, she had become a little curious.

.

.

One impromptu invitation for tea; “Jasmine is fine, Ino,” and Sakura comes to learn that Sai himself has seen the beast. Or so he says.

She doesn't believe him.

“When did you see the...monster?” she asks him.

“July the first,” Sai answers her, “I had decided to stroll through the woods late at night. I too had heard the rumours but paid little mind to them. I saw the creature, off into the distance. It did not see me, but I suspected that maybe it had sensed my life form around. Either way, it had left me alone. And so now here I am to tell you the tale...um...Ino had asked me before to tell you that last line. I am not sure why”.

Sakura's gaze narrows onto her company, “why were you out in the woods so late at night?”

“Inspiration, for drawing”.

“Light would have been a scarcity for you so late at night”.

“No, the moon shone quite brightly”.

“Right,” Sakura nods.

She tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Perhaps a different tactic should be utilised, “what did the _monster_ look like?”

“It was quite dark”.

“Well...how big was it?”

“It was about as tall as a rather tall human”.

“...right?”

“And it had wings”.

“Wings?”

“Or, what appeared to be wings. Deformed hands protruding from its back would be a more fitting description”.

Inevitably, Sakura is at a loss for how to reply. She considers for a moment that description – she'd never heard of such a creature. But before she can set forth with more questions, Ino emerges from the kitchen with a tray, three tea cups, and a disapproving look.

“Forehead, stop grilling my hubby,” Ino murmurs.

Sakura sighs, but decides to go against arguing back.

.

.

It takes Sakura only two more days until her curiosity gets the better of her.

She decides to take a stroll in the woods that night.

.

.

There was an innate sort of beauty to the path she walks. From the eroded ground, to the near silence whistle of the wind, to the sky that barely peaks through the canopy of trees. It brings to the forefront of thought, the most instinctive of senses. But Sakura is not here on anything of base common sense. Or in the simplest of terms; there is nothing logical about the reason she is here.

For she is here to spot a monster.

A beast from the town's folklore.

At the very least, she is able to get some fresh air from this walk.

.

.

The sky weeps a reddish hue, whilst Sakura comes across a small abode situated quite unexpectedly in the middle of the forest.

Far past the village borders, purely in isolation; a small house. She expected to come across a monster, she did not expect to find this.

“Maybe this is where the monster lives?” Sakura murmurs quietly to herself.

She steps into the small clearing of the house.

The soft sound of metal clanging is heard, Sakura's attention is drawn immediately to the building, or rather, what is behind it. At least, that is where the sound appears to originate from. She heads off towards said direction regardless.

With a tentative pace, and soft steps, Sakura approaches the back of the home to find a person. Just one person – alone. He practices his swordsmanship. Upon first glance, it is clear this person holds said skill quite highly.

She is transfixed immediately – to his footwork, to the fluidity of his strikes.

She is transfixed, so she forgets to speaks.

Therefore, without stopping at his task, the man before her speaks instead, “can I help you?”

Sakura blinks, “huh?”

He steps, left foot before the right. Holding that stance, the man strikes at air. He pulls back, and relaxes his form. He turns back to Sakura, and regards her properly whilst stating, “you're on my property”.

Now, it clicks, “oh...right...”

“Can I help you?”

It only occurs to her now, she _is_ technically trespassing, “sorry I just, I didn't realise–”

“What do you want?”

“Nothing! sorry...I'll be on my way,” and with that, Sakura does not move.

The man before her raises an eyebrow, “are you leaving?”

Slowly, Sakura nods, “yes...I will...but may I ask you a question first?”

His expression grows more suspicious, and Sakura bites her tongue.

**Figures** _– why did her composure just have to fail her so badly?_ Yes, he was attractive. Very, very attractive. But she was also trespassing. And he was waiting for her to continue speaking.

Never before had she felt this tongue-tied. And she hardly knew the guy, this is entirely inappropriate!

“Um, so...I'm new to the village that's–”

“Go home,” the man interjects. He turns away, and returns to his fighting stance. His eyes do not return to her.

Sakura takes the hint, and leaves the area.

.

.

“There is a man that lives in the forest alone?!”

Sakura nods, and flicks the stapled document before her over to the next page. She clicks her pen, and begins circling discrepancies.

Ino leans back in her chair. She clicks her tongue, “damn. That guy will get eaten by the monster for sure”.

“Ino, there is no such thing”.

“Sai even told you he saw it with his own eyes!”

Sakura exhales, and lets her shoulders sink for a bit, “okay...whatever you say–”

“Go to the police station then,” Ino cuts in, “they've got tons of reports on this, you'll see. Then you'll know its not a lie”.

.

.

And so, on a whim, Sakura goes to the police station after work.

“Of course there are reports girlie, this isn't some make believe story. Although I cannot show you them – _obviously_. Confidentiality reasons and all”.

Sakura nods, and asks what it is that he can tell her then.

The policeman before her snorts, “listen girlie, are you here to report a crime? Or here in on any sort of official business? Because if not, then you're wasting my time”.

“Oh,” she breathes, “right...I mean...what I mean to say is,” she racks her mind for her next point, “yesterday, I went for a walk. I went for a walk in the woods...I went for a walk in the woods and came across a man who lives in there”.

The lips of the policeman form a thin line. His eyes narrow.

Sakura continues, “and, well, since these reports are true, of a creature living deep within these woods...I...worry for the safety of this man and–”

“Listen missy, I can assure you that there is no one living within the forest, no one”.

“That's not true I–”

“Whatever you saw,” the policeman pauses, “I'm sure it was just your imagination”.

Sakura shakes her head, “with all due respect, sir–”

“Listen young lady, the woods beyond our village is still within our jurisdiction. We would know if someone lived out there. Now we don't know of such a thing, hence, no one lives there”.

“But–”

“Please, enough. Now if you have any other matter to discuss I will listen otherwise do not waste my time any more than you have”.

.

.

Ino stamps her feet and declares all policemen in the town to be a bunch of pigs.

Sakura giggles, and then tells her friend she will be heading back to the medical clinic. She tells Ino she has a late shift.

Which is a lie.

.

.

“What are you doing here again?”

Any plans for stealth fly from the window with that remark. Sakura looks on with a cheesy smile as the man before her lowers his sword, exhales in frustration, and asks her once more why she has decided to come trespass upon his property again.

“Where exactly does your property end?” Sakura asks from afar.

She stands in line with the boundary of trees that surround the clearing. Surely, his ownership of land didn't reach out that far.

The man points at her toes, “my property ends there”.

Sakura looks down, then back up, and grins, “oh, so I'm not technically trespassing this time, am I?”

“...no, I suppose not”.

.

.

Her victory, which is rather small in hindsight, is short lived.

Fitting, _really_.

Not soon after, the man returns to his sword practice. He ignores her presence entirely. But that fact doesn't bother Sakura in the slightest.

She is transfixed, captivated, by his form. He is graceful yet somewhat brutal in his art. Dangerous nonetheless.

A soft smile appears on her face, and Sakura forgets that her mother taught her that openly staring is rather rude. However, the man has not forgotten that social cue, “did you know openly staring is considered rather rude”.

Sakura blinks, “huh?”

“Why are you here?”

“...Oh...uh”.

“You walk out here to the middle of the forest, to stare at a stranger – you make no sense whatsoever with your actions”.

When laid out in front of her, only then does the illogical nature of her behaviour present itself. “I wanted to ask you something”.

The man before her raises an eyebrow, “what?”

She pauses, “perhaps you've heard of rumours about a creature–”

“That stalks through the woods, and terrorises the villagers. Yes, I've heard of it”.

She didn't expect this, “oh, then–”

“You're now wondering why I would stay here, in the woods, while knowing of such a creature”.

It was a funny sort of day, Sakura muses – everyone took the chance to continually talk over her. “Would you not be curious as well?”

The man smirks, and turns around. It is clear he is heading back to his house. He adds with a note of finality, “No, I wouldn't be, because I know how to mind my own business”.

.

.

Sakura leaves after that.

It is clear she'd overstepped some sort of invisible boundary. Not to mention her rather out-of-the-blue behaviour.

He was probably annoyed with her presence – she doesn't blame him.

.

.

“Hello! Sakura-chan, please – wait!”

Her footstep slows to a halt. Sakura pivots on her heel and turns to regard the person calling out to her.

“Lee?” Sakura calls out in surprise.

Said man stops before her, a little out of breath but with a genuine smile plastered across his face. The sentiment is returned by Sakura. “Lee,” she says, “what are you doing here?”

“Sakura-chan, I heard you'd come to visit the police station,” he states with a puff.

Sakura tilts her head slightly with a curious smile, “wait...what were you doing at the police station?”

A small chuckle escapes the man, “Oh Sakura-chan, I work there. I moved to this village for this position about one year ago. I would have thought Ino-san would have told you that?”

Sakura shakes her head, and mumbles out, “no, she didn't tell me”.

Lee waves it off, “not an issue Sakura-chan, really. Now I've come to seek you out because I'd overheard of your treatment by my fellow officer. I've come to apologise on his behalf, he shouldn't have tread so forcefully on the good intentions of a beautiful flower such as yourself, Sakura-chan”.

“Lee,” Sakura giggles, “did that man ask you to do this? Or are you apologising of your own volition?”

With a bright attitude, Lee responds, “that man has asked me nothing, I am here of my own free will”.

“Lee,” Sakura drawls out, “if you are here on his behalf without his intention, then you need not apologise. Besides, I understand, I was being a bit of a nuisance anyway”.

“Sakura-chan, please,” Lee urges, “do not ever think that way”.

Softly, she smiles, “I need to get going Lee. It was great seeing you. Maybe we can catch up some time– ”

“How about tomorrow night?” Lee enthusiastically interjects.

Sakura pauses, “tomorrow night...”

“There is this newly opened restaurant that everyone is very excited to eat at”.

Sakura asks, “will this...I mean. We will be going just as...friends, right?”

Without even a skip in composure, Lee answers immediately, “of course, Sakura-chan. I consider you a dear friend, always”.

Her shoulders relax, “sure Lee, lets eat there tomorrow”.

.

.

Sakura doesn't bother to go back into the woods the following night. Or the night after that.

The next time she steps a foot into the border of the trees is for official purpose. She does not go in for him – the man whose name she doesn't even know.

Which is telling in a way; why waste your time on someone who is a stranger? And who very clearly did not want her presence around anyway.

.

.

Tsuande has her limits, as well as time constraints. She will not travel out as far as the village Sakura is located in, but she will meet her halfway. Sakura travels the rest, “you look well,” she tells her Hokage.

Tsunade nods, rolls her eyes, and waves down her student to take a seat in front of her. “Listen, its only been a month, so I don't expect you to have done a great deal of work yet”.

“You expect right,” Sakura remarks. The thin stack of paper, stapled, and ready for review in her lap can attest to such a fact. Sakura hands over the documents.

Tsunade takes it, raises her eyebrows, and replies, “this is actually more than I expected”.

The following moment, the waiter comes by to take their orders.

“Cheesecake for me,” Sakura answers bubbly.

The waiter nods, jots down the order, and turns to Tsunade. “I want,” the sannin begins, “the oiliest, most fattening thing you have on the menu”.

The slight hesitation in the waiter is caught, but brief. He nods, and quickly scampers away.

“Tsunade-sama, you are aware that this place only sells cakes and other sweets, right?”

Tsuande shrugs, and leans back in her chair, “they can deep-fry a muffin for me then”.

.

.

One train, a short boat ride, and then she was back on the path that would lead to the village.

And so, through the woods she travels. It is too far to go around, and she rather prefer getting home before it gets too dark.

She travels with only her apartment in mind.

So it comes as quite a remarkable coincidence when her paths cross, entirely unintentionally, with the man who lives in the woods.

He stops before her, and frowns.

Sakura, on the other hand, smiles warmly, and nods.

It comes as a surprise to meet him once more. And it comes as even more of a surprise when he speaks to her, and states, “really, what _is_ your problem?”

No – scratch that. Sakura reconsiders, it isn't surprising at all.

In fact, his statement – it was rather insulting.

.

.

Ino exhales, and stares out the window of her kitchen.

She watches silently as Sai sits upon the ground of their backyard. He is drawing – something. It is clear that he is content, and enjoying himself.

There is a twinge of jealousy for the blonde upon such a scene.

She sighs, and looks down to the kitchen sink. There are still many dishes to wash.

.

.

“A coincidence?”

“Yes, I swear,” Sakura urges, “I am just walking back to the village, I had no intention to...bother you”.

The man before her scoffs, “you expect me to believe that?”

Sakura shifts nervously on her feet. The action is subtle, and she hopes the man before her doesn't notice, but she suspects that he does. She replies to him, “Listen, I'm sorry. I know in our previous encounters I acted quite–”

“Inappropriately?” the man interjects.

Sakura pauses, “well...yes, I suppose. I was inappropriate with my behaviour. I'm sorry. But I assure you, I'm just going home”.

She feels his scrutiny; his eyes that scan her form. She struggles to meet his gaze.

“Why did you bother me in the first place?”

She opens her mouth, then closes it.

He exhales, “are you not going to answer?”

“I...was initially curious about the village's folklore. About the monster that, roamed the woods”.

“Do you believe the stories?”

Sakura tries not to grin, “no, I do not”.

“You don't?”

“No. Or rather, I believe there is great exaggeration to the story”.

The man takes a step closer to her. Sakura holds her nerve, and refrains from her instinct to step back. There is something off about the way in which he stares at her.

“You should believe them, they are true”.

“What?”

“I've seen it. I know the monster is real”.

She blinks, “...what?”

There is a rumour that circulates throughout the town. Of a creature, ugly in appearance, that stalks the forest late at night.

Only at night.

No one knows where the creature hides during the day.

That night, a man asks her whether or not she wants to see this monster first hand. “Well,” he asks, “do you?”

Sakura doesn't know this man. She has seen his impressive sword work, felt her heart flutter at the sight of him, and bothered him when unnecessary. But she doesn't know him, she doesn't know this man. And that fact does not become any more obvious until now – now, when he stands before her with a look that sends enough warning to her instincts.

The look is a little sinister.

She speaks to him no more.

Sakura bows her head, and walks past the man without another word said.

She can feel his eyes still on her as she walks away.

“Wait,” he calls out.

She does not stop walking.

“Haruno Sakura,” he shouts.

Now she stops. She waits a second before she turns around. Her eyes are wide with shock, “how did you know–”

“Haruno Sakura; apprentice of one of the country's greatest medical minds. One the brightest mind in regards to said discipline as well. At a young age you were able to–”

“How do you know this?” Sakura exclaims.

The man calmly replies, “Information on you is publicly available. Some of your research is published”.

“And...”

“And I know that you did not want to seek out this monster just for the story. You want to know more about the creature”.

So what if she did? “Why are you...saying this?”

The man raises his eyebrow, and smirks, “Do you want to know why I am not scared of living out here with a monster that roams the woods?”

Sakura nods her head for a wordless reply.

“Because you're right on one aspect, the folklore **is** exaggerated, in some way”.

“And,” says Sakura, “what way is that...”

.

.

Ino snorts, and rolls her eyes, “that's stupid”.

“It even sort of aligns with the story Sai told me”.

“No, no, no,” Ino shakes her head, “that's ridiculous forehead, of course the monster is dangerous. The monster will rip you to shreds, and eat you up. Where on earth did you get the idea that the monster is harmless?”

“I...” lying would work, “...just...thought of it”.

Ino looks on disapproving, “you should be working forehead, instead of daydreaming of such weird things”.

Sakura looks on incredulously, and points at her meal, “I'm on lunch!”

“Yes you are”.

Sakura exhales, and remarks with endearment, “geeze, pig”.

.

.

“ _The monster is known to wander the woods an hour before midnight,”_ the man had told her yesterday, _“you want to see it – come around then”._

And she would go, she wants to.

But regardless of her choice, Sakura still remains wary.

Because why would this man so suddenly offer this olive branch when considering her approach to him before. She was annoying – and he has an ulterior motive.

She is sure of it.

He has to.

Perhaps he was lying.

...Perhaps he is merely hoping that the monster will eat her up tonight.

.

.

The problem comes after Sakura had made significant headway into the woods – _where exactly was she meant to go?_

She curses her lack of foresight.

Nevertheless, she continues to move forward. Sakura only knows of two destinations she could be heading; toward the house of the man she knows not to bother any more, or the path taken to leave the forest and the village behind. She chooses the latter.

Her stroll is near silent, her breath is partially visible under the growing chill of the night. And Sakura keeps walking, her hands are shoved deeps into her jacket pockets for warmth.

Time passes without her consideration, and she only stops her footsteps when the sound of a branch cracking behind her is heard.

She turns around – there is nothing there.

.

.

Prior to her standing behind a tree, and peaking around the trunk, Sakura had decided to head towards the sounds of a stream.

A goal that never came to fruition. The moment Sakura had stepped into the clearing of where the a river ran thorough, she had jumped back into the cover of the forest's life. Right behind a large tree, she hides her form.

She had spotted the creature.

Biting her lip, and taking a breath, Sakura decides to peer around the trunk once more.

The creature is still there.

A strange-looking beast. With its upright posture and movement, it appears almost human. It does not look in her direction, so Sakura continues to observe further its characteristics. Eyes that glow, a shade that blends well with the darkness of the sky, and – _wings_...sort of.

In a way, she can understand now what Sai meant with his description.

Sakura turns away, and hides her form once more behind the trunk of the tree.

Something is there, something she cannot quite put her finger upon. She does not want to reveal herself to this creature, and despite assurance otherwise, she cannot assure her safety should she step out and greet this beast.

Besides, she does not trust the man who has told her there is nothing to fear. She does not trust him, and now, there is nothing more than needs to be done.

She has seen the creature, with her own eyes. Quite unbelievable, she thinks, that such a being exists. Perhaps she should tell Tsunade, what a case this could be.

And yet, as Sakura continues to run her mind with possible scenarios, something within her continues to tease as if trying to tell her there is something she has overlooked.

There is a feeling telling her there is something she has missed.

With another exhale, Sakura peers around the tree trunk again to peak at the monster once more.

But it is gone, the clearing is empty.

Sakura groans softly to herself, and decides it best now to call it a night.

.

.

“Sakura-chan, are you enjoying your ice cream?”

Sakura turns, and replies, “I am, thank you Lee”.

“It is said to be the best in the village,” Lee gushes out, “I am glad you are enjoying it”.

His enthusiasm never fails to, at the very least, put a smile on her face. “Lee, how have you been?”

“I am good Sakura-chan, even better since you asked me out today after work”.

Instinctively, Sakura wants to add, _“as friends, though, right Lee?”_. But she refrains from doing so this time. Instead, Sakura tilts her head and asks, “did you have a hard day today?”

“Nothing too bad, Sakura-chan. Just a lot of paperwork, which I am completely fine with”.

Sakura nods, and takes another lick of her ice cream.

.

.

Later, when she is walking home, after her time with Lee, Sakura realises what it was that she had overlooked.

When she was out in the woods, and the creature tread the ground of the clearing before her. She had a feeling of missing something – but she knows now what it is.

So, instead of going home, Sakura stop walking, and turns back.

She heads to the woods instead.

.

.

“You're the monster, aren't you?”

He stops sharpening his blade, and looks up, “you're here to trespass again?”

Sakura holds up her index with a grin, then points down to her toes, “I'm on the border,” she replies, “I'm not trespassing”.

The man scoffs, “whatever”. He returns to sharpening his sword, the sounds of scrapping metal fills the air for a brief lull.

Until, Sakura breaks it, “are you going to answer my question?”

“Am I obligated to?”

“No”.

“Then no, I will not answer your question”.

She bites her lip, and refrains from giggling, “I've been told that no one knows where the creature hides during the day. Only at night can this monster be seen–”

“I told you that,” the man snaps in retort.

Sakura pulls back, but wills herself to hold her feet within their position, “I know”.

The man exhales, and looks up from his blade, “go home”.

Sakura doesn't move, “I was thinking it was odd that you would suddenly tell me where to find the monster. Why would you do that? I thought – and then I realised that you must have something to gain from that”.

The man puts away his katana, and stands up.

Sakura holds her nerve, and continues talking, “I thought it was rather odd that you knew so much about me, it was clear you'd done your research – but why would you do that?” the man takes a step closer, Sakura continues speaking, “because you are the monster. Because you don't want to be the monster any more. Because you are desperate for a way out of this, and with what you know of my skill, you believe I may be able to find at least some head-way into a solution for your predicament”.

The man continues his approach, until he stands before her. Only the invisible border between his property, and the rest of the woods separates the two.

The man smirks, “that is a rather far-fetched story you got there”.

Sakura matches her grin, “yes, but that doesn't make it untrue”.

A chuckle escapes him; somewhat derisive, and cold, “if you are so sure I am the monster, wouldn't you also be wary of approaching me, alone, this late at night, with no one else for support”.

Yes – wary, or rather, scared is the correct word. Haruno Sakura is scared. And so to reply, she lies, “no, I am not wary of such a thing”.

“You're not?”

“No”.

His smirk grows, “that seems rather stupid of you”.

Sakura shakes her head, “there is no benefit to you if you harm me. You require my help, right?”

The man takes half a step closer. A little too close if Sakura has anything to say on the matter. But instead of stepping back, Sakura holds her ground.

The man replies, “I haven't admitted to being the monster”.

“No, you haven't,” Sakura responds, “but, I am standing here now to let you know I am willing to help, if you need it. If you don't, then I'll leave. I'm sure in that case I will not see you again, which is something you'd probably want anyway”.

The man doesn't reply. Not immediately anyway. He appears to mull over the offer, and then replies with a cryptic, “Sasuke”.

Sakura blinks, “huh?”

“My name is Sasuke”.

Sakura opens her mouth, then closes it. She nods, “Sasuke, right. I'm–”

“Sakura, I know”.

“Oh,” she fidgets in light of such a slip up, “right, yea. You know my name already”.

The man steps back, and pauses for a brief moment before speaking, “follow me”. He turns around, and heads towards his house.

Sakura hesitates, but only momentarily. She quickly follows to catch up to Sasuke's pace.

.

.

Ino turns to her side, and watches as her husband sleeps in peace. His breathing is soft, his features are serene.

_And she?_ – she was stuck in her periodic bouts of insomnia. Closing her eyes didn't quell that gnawing dread deep within. A source of irritation the blonde found great struggle to pinpoint.

She turns onto her back, and lets out a soft exhale. Her eyes dart back to her husband once more; a quick peripheral glace.

Subconsciously, she grinds her teeth at the sight of him.

.

.

His house is clean, organised, and a little more modern than she'd expected going by the outside exterior. He tells her, “take a seat”. Sakura remains standing. She doesn't catch the way Sasuke rolls his eyes, but to match her, he too remains standing as well.

“Have you ever seen anything like it before?”

Sakura stops looking around the house, and turns to Sasuke, “have I ever seen anything like, you in that monster form?”

Sasuke raises an eyebrow, and Sakura shakes her head, “no, I have not”.

“I suspected as much”.

“Is this,” Sakura pauses, “is this, something that has always been apart of you”.

“You think I turned into a horrible disfigured creature when I was a baby?”

Sakura bites her tongue – _was talking to Sasuke always a constant tip-toe around eggshells?_ “Sorry, I didn't mean–”

“No,” he interjects, “this only began during my teenage years”.

Sakura nods, “I see”.

.

.

This was a remarkable case study. An amazing story really. She was fascinated by the situation. Close to midnight, and Sasuke had shown her his transformation.

“I'm surprised you aren't scared,” Sasuke growls, his breathing measured.

Sakura takes a step closer, and hovers her hand near the span of what appear to be his wings. She does not touch him however, “its amazing”.

Sasuke slowly replies, “...you think, this form...why would you say that?”

Sakura, without picking on any cues, continues to speak while fascinated, “because it is, because you are”.

Sasuke does not reply. She misses the way his eyes follow her form with a slight crease between his brow.

.

.

They make a deal, one that appears to only benefit him. Sakura will give up her free time, and see if there is anything to be done about this situation. And Sasuke...will do nothing?

He will wait.

She will work.

Sakura isn't too surprised that it takes Ino around a week to notice a sudden unexplainable increase in Sakura's workload.

“You spend so much time at the clinic nowadays,” the blonde whines.

“I have stuff to–”

“Don't say you have stuff to do!”

“...do”.

Ino sighs, and leans her head against the table, “The roster says your shift ended three hours ago”.

“Yea...that's probably true”.

Ino blows a strand of hair away from her eyes, “Forehead, what are you still doing here then. You can't possibly have this much work”.

Sakura shrugs, and replies with a deflection.

The blonde narrows her eyes, “you're hiding something”.

“Like what?”

“I don't know!”

Sakura chuckles softly, “sorry pig, we'll hang out some other time”.

.

.

Blood tests show nothing, his vitals are normal – “do you have anything useful to tell me?” Sasuke snaps.

Sakura raises an eyebrow, “...perhaps I should check your blood pressure again”.

She had worked seven days straight, always after her shifts. Books, documents, forgotten folklore. But she has come up short, much to the displeasure of Sasuke. “You haven't gotten anywhere?”

Sakura shakes her head, “this is a...tough one, Sasuke-kun. I'm trying though–”

“If its too difficult–”

“I never said that,” Sakura hastily interjects.

Sasuke nods, stands up, and heads to the kitchen. He announces that he will be making tea, he asks if she would like some. Sakura replies that she doesn't.

“Don't overwork yourself,” Sasuke adds before leaving to the kitchen.

Absorbed in her work, Sakura does not hear him.

.

.

“I feel like I haven't seen you in _so_ long,” Ino whines.

Sakura giggles, and watches as Ino turns back to concentrating on her technique.

Her technique in applying nail polish to be exact. A lovely fade of green, with a pink flower design upon each nail. The skill required for such a coating is quite impressive, which Sakura continues to remind Ino every time the blonde finishes off a nail.

“Don't stop now, forehead. I love me some compliments,” Ino grins, winking with cheek.

Sakura matches the grin, “when did you learn to do this?”

“A couple of years back”.

“I love it,” Sakura gazes upon her nails with great admiration.

Ino smirks, “I can teach you if you want”.

.

.

Sakura doesn't visit Sasuke all the time. Periodically she does, but she prefers to work within the confides of her office, her apartment, and in some circumstances, the library.

In total, she has visited Sasuke three times over the course of one and a half months to fill him in on her progress. On the third visit, he asks her, “if its easier for you, you can do your work in my house”.

Sakura stop scribbling out notes, and raises her eyes to meet Sasuke's, “what?”

He exhales, “it must be annoying to keep moving your work back and forth between the village and my house”.

Sakura tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, “no, its fine,” then, she giggles, “I don't really come here that often anyway”.

Sasuke nods, and takes the seat closest to Sakura; who sits on the ground, paper and books are strewn around. She looks up, “but thank you for the offer”.

Sasuke nods, “alright”.

.

.

The next time she meets Tsunade is at a restaurant that sells meat and sake.

“This is better,” the sannin remarks, her eyes scan the restaurant's menu with delight.

Sakura smirks, and as the two wait for the waiter, she begins to tell her master of her current progress; what phase within the implementation stage she is in, what further procurement is needed, and the time frames expected for the future.

“You got any of this in writing?”

Sakura nods, and pulls out her binder. Tsunade rolls her eyes.

“Why did you roll your eyes!”

“I didn't”

“Yes you did!”

Tsunade leans over, and takes the binder from her student, “you work too hard, Sakura”.

Sakura blinks, and leans back in her chair. She places her index atop the straw in her drink, swirls it, and softly mumbles, “I just enjoy my work”.

Tsunade pauses, then lets out a soft chuckle, “that's good to know, but don't let the world pass you by as well. Do not miss out on what is truly important”.

.

.

“Sakura, are you busy again?” Ino pouts. She leans her head upon Sakura's shoulder.

The receptionist stares at the two girls before her with a disapproving look. Sakura grins, shows her identification pass, and quickly remarks, “she's with me,” whilst pointing at Ino.

The receptionist grumbles, but nods nonetheless, and allows both girls to enter the lab.

By now, she has spend perhaps too many nights down here. The cold sterile environment of the vicinity begins to bring forth familiar feeling. Early onsets of nostalgia – _maybe_. Either way, there have been many nights of failure within this lab. She does not tell Sasuke of these times.

“Is this your own personal lab?” Ino asks as she takes a seat upon a spare stool.

Sakura shakes her head, and informs the blonde that it is the lab that belongs to the hospital. “I feel like I'm the only one actually using it,” says Sakura.

“Is this where you guys run your tests, and stuff?”

Sakura tells Ino that it is not, “that's somewhere else. This area is for research and development. But there isn't really that much onus to do so in this hospital. It is primarily for general care”.

From what she knows so far, Sasuke's condition isn't chemical based. Or rather, it isn't noticeably chemical based. But a serum nonetheless may be able to counteract some of the effects.

“What are you researching then?” Ino asks.

Her notes, and set up from last night have not been touched. “Just...something”.

“Something?”

“Yea”.

Sakura flips through the pages of her binder. Ino looks on disinterested.

“Hey, forehead,” Ino exhales softly, “I'm not bothering you, am I?”

Sakura looks up, “huh? No of course not”.

“So...you don't mind if I stay here with you?”

“Sure, go ahead,” Sakura smiles, “though I thought you'd rather spend time with Sai instead. Or perhaps visit some of your other friend in the vil–”

“No, I rather stay here,” Ino interjects, “I feel like we don't get to see each other too often”.

.

.

Two weeks later, she makes her first breakthrough.

“What is it,” Sasuke asks, looking at the bottle of clear liquid.

“This,” Sakura shakes said bottle, “will help suppress your transformation”.

It is clear, from Sasuke's expression, that he doesn't believe her, “how long will it last?”

“Unfortunately, only for tonight. Tomorrow, you'll have to drink it again to suppress it again. Its taken daily – and I don't know how well it works without testing it properly,” Sasuke takes the bottle from her hands. Sakura searches his expression for some hint of relief. There is none. “Sorry,” she says, “this is the best I can do–”

“Don't apologise,” he says, “its rather remarkable that you'd even managed to create this with what short amount of time you've been working on this”.

Three months, thinks Sakura, doesn't seem like a short amount of time. But she takes the compliment, “thanks”.

He nods, and asks how much of it he is meant to drink.

“About 30ml,” Sakura replies.

.

.

Eleven o'clock rolls by, and Sasuke remains in his human form.

The pair wait outside. They wait, and wait. Then, they begin to talk – its something to pass the time.

“How long can you hold your breath for, Sasuke-kun? I can go for forty seconds”.

“No you can't”

“I can, let me prove it!”

When it hits midnight, Sasuke remarks, “I think its worked”.

Sakura replies, “are you sure, I don't know how permanent it is”.

Sasuke pauses, then stands up, “there is an urge, or a feeling I get before the transformation. Its not happening, I don't feel anything. I think I'll be good for tonight”.

Still wary of the situation, Sakura accepts Sasuke's answer, albeit rather reluctantly. “Well,” she says, “I'll be heading home then”.

The look of confusion she receives from Sasuke is something she didn't expect. And neither is his next remark, “I assumed you'd be staying the night”.

Sakura hesitates, “wha – what?”

“Its late, midnight in fact. Are you really planning on walking through the woods to get back to the village?”

“Well,” Sakura pauses, “yes, I am”.

“This late?”

“Its not like there is some monster that roams the woods”.

Sakura grins, but stops in light of Sasuke's neutral expression.

He shrugs, “do what you want then”.

.

.

It was a good start, she thinks, but she doubts Sasuke wants to spend the rest of his life drinking her serum every day just to suppress his alternate form. She can do better, she can make a serum that only needs to be taken every week, every month – maybe she'd be able to cure the affliction entirely.

“Seriously forehead, this is boring,” Ino shuffles Sakura's papers around.

Sakura looks on with frustration at the blonde, “pig! I had organised them”.

“Yea, yea”.

Sakura chuckles somewhat at Ino's lack of concern. She isn't actually angry at her friend. Sakura turns back to her work, and doesn't even notice when Ino stands up, and walks to the exit.

She only takes notice when Ino speaks. “I'm heading home,” she says.

Ino leaves quickly with that.

Now alone in the lab, Sakura blinks, “huh, that was rather abrupt”.

.

.

Once, back home, Tsunade had noted, on numerous occasions, of Sakura's workaholic tendencies. _'Don't take it too hard,'_ Tsunade had added afterwards, _'I was the same way when I was your age'._

It was no insult – not really.

Though it is rather strange that this thought surfaces now, at night, when she cannot get to sleep.

Sakura turns to her bedside clock – it is rather late. Three successive checks of the time later (with three new minutes) and Sakura closes her eyes – before opening them the next second.

Sleep would clearly be very elusive to her today.

With a grumble, and unfiltered thoughts, Sakura stands up and heads towards her kitchen. When there, she grabs a glass and begins filling it with water, but does not drink it. Instead, she refrains as another thought occurs to her.

Sakura puts down the glass, and begins to rifle through her kitchen drawers. There is a cookbook stashed in one of the cupboards, she just needs to find out which one.

.

.

“Forehead...its late”.

Sakura smiles with a clear trace of anxiety upon her expression, “yea, I know,” she shifts her weight from one foot, then back to the other, “I made you these,” Sakura holds out a box; they are filled with cookies.

Ino stares at the container; she stares, then smiles, then begins to laugh, “...you're such a nerd”.

Sakura rolls her eyes, “thanks”.

Ino steps forward, and closes the front door to her home behind her, “let go eat them in the village square”.

Sakura replies, “you don't want to eat at home?”

Ino shakes her head, “no, I rather go out tonight”.

.

.

Five cookies, half a root beer, and a quiet pause later, and Ino begins to cry.

Breaking down, where only Sakura can see. They did not go to the town square, and instead, trekked towards a secluded area in the park to share the cookies Sakura had baked.

Sakura watches as her best friend cries. As she holds on to the lunch box with a white knuckled grip. As the tears stream down Ino's now red cheeks. Sakura looks on, unsure even of why Ino is crying – and so, she begins to cry as well.

Ino sniffs through her tears, “forehead, why are you crying?!”

“Because you are,” Sakura blubbers.

Though she tries to hold it back, Ino begins to smile, “you – are – such an idiot”.

Sakura rubs the tears from her eyes, “if you stop crying, then I'll stop crying”.

Ino hiccups, “ _idiot_ ”.

.

.

When the girls calm themselves, and giggles take over more than sniffles, Ino softly remarks, “Sakura, I regret marrying Sai”.

Sakura holds no clue in how to react, so she says nothing – she abhors the silence.

“You know,” says Ino, “I think, when I was younger, I just wanted to get married. I didn't care who with, but I wanted to get married. I wanted that happiness. And now...”

“Ino,” Sakura softly comforts, “Ino, you know–”

“Sakura,” the blonde interjects, “I've made a mistake, haven't I?”

With a pout, Sakura looks away, “no, Ino, I don't think you have”.

“You're just saying that”.

“No, I'm not”.

“It would be easy for you, forehead. Looking from a third party's perspective–”

“Ino” Sakura turns her full body to her friend, “Ino, come on. Look, please answer me this – are you unhappy with Sai? Are you truly, truly unhappy? Or are you worried about something else?”

Ino smirks, and looks away, “I'm just regretting”.

“Ino–”

“You've never had a boyfriend, Sakura. You wouldn't get it”.

In response, Sakura says nothing. _Maybe she doesn't get it._

Ino picks up on the subtle change in demeanour.

“Sakura, do you remember, when we were younger, we would talk endlessly about finding some handsome guy, and getting married. Do you remember?”

Sakura looks up, and nods. “Yea, I do”.

“Its funny though,” Ino murmurs, “when we got older, you never even tried to find a guy. It was always me dragging you out, and I remember so well how much you hated it. Its funny now, because here we are – I regret my actions, and your inaction is the reason why you're not in the same place as me”.

“Ino, don't say that”.

“Why not?”

Sakura pauses, “you know what I remember Ino, back then, when we were younger?” Ino turns to her friend, Sakura continues, “I remember when you first started dating Sai. You were so happy, so beautiful”.

“Oh I see,” Ino responds with cheek, “I'm not any more”.

Sakura blinks, and shakes her head quickly, “no, no – pig! Let me finish”.

Ino giggles.

Sakura tries to pinch the blonde's cheeks. The effort is futile.

“Okay, listen,” Sakura grumbles, “you were happy. You were. I know you were Ino, Sai made you happy–”

“Sakura...”

“Look, I don't know what is going on in your relationship. And I wont pretend to assume that I do. But Ino, I don't think you married Sai just for...just for nothing”.

Ino chuckles, “you can't be sure of that, Sakura”.

“yea, I know,” she mumbles.

Following this, a brief silence sets in. Nothing of comfort, Sakura can feel the tension grow.

Looking at her friend's expression, Ino's resistance softens, “Sakura, can I ask you something?”

Sakura looks up, “yea?”

Ino turns to her friend, and smirks, “how come you never tried. How come, I was the only one of us that tried?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Like I said, we talked endlessly about the guys we would marry when we were young – I was the only one who did anything about it”.

With a faux look of shock, Sakura replies, “pig, are you asking me why I remain so pitiful, and alone, without a boyfriend, oh woe is me–”

“Shut it, forehead,” Ino interjects, her usual spark begins to return.

“You're so cruel, pig”.

“Answer the question!”

Sakura giggles, and leans back on her elbows, “I never found a guy that I had feelings for Ino. Simple as that”.

Ino raises an eyebrow, “really, that's it?”

“That's it”.

“Never?”

Sakura looks away, “well, not so much _now_. But before–”

“Wait!” Ino cuts in, “are you telling me – that you – Sakura!”

“Its nothing, pig, its just a crush...”

But that remark does nothing to hold back Ino's squeal, “what are you talking about – this is everything!”

Sakura closes her eyes, and wonders whether or not she will come to regret telling Ino such a thing. It wasn't a lie – but in the grand scheme of things, it didn't really matter. Regardless, that piece of gossip did enough to put a smile back on Ino's face.

A genuine smile – and for that, Sakura doubts she will regret telling Ino of her crush.

.

.

Sakura regrets telling Ino of her crush.

“Its Lee, isn't it?”

Sakura snaps her head towards the direction of the blonde, “what?”

“It's Lee, right?”

“How did you get into my office!?”

“Oh forehead,” Ino flops down onto one of the chairs in the small office, “did you think you could hide this from me?”

“I thought I locked the door...”

“This is actually really cute though. I mean, Lee! Of all guys!”

“Did you pick the lock?”

Ino pauses, then sits up a little straighter. “Forehead, are you even listening to me? Geeze...”

.

.

That afternoon, Sakura brings a crate to Sasuke's house. It is filled to the brim with bottles of the serum he requires to suppress his primal form. He is surprised to see her, “I am surprised to see you”.

Sakura tilts her head to the side, and smiles, “oh, why is that?”

“I didn't expect you”.

“Ah,” says Sakura, “hence, you were surprised”.

He glares blankly at the still-smiling woman before him, before stepping back, and allowing Sakura to enter. She brushes her feet off at the doormat, and steps inside, asking Sasuke, “where should I put this?”

She nods at the crate in her hands. Sasuke points over near the coffee table. She smiles, and with ease, Sakura walks over, and places the crate down where he has gestured.

“Hey, before I go, could I grab a quick glass of water?”

Looking over at the crate, he brings his gaze up to meet Sakura's, “sure”.

She smiles, and heads to the kitchen. Sasuke waits until he hears the tap running before approaching the crate, and squatting down before it.

He has a hunch, and to test it, he plants his feet on both sides of the crate, grabs the bottom, and attempts to lift it.

He barely gets it off the ground.

He cannot believe how heavy it is. He tries again, with little to no avail.

Sasuke stands up,and stares down with shock – _how on earth had she carried this thing all the way up here?_

When Sakura returns; glass of water in hand, Sasuke asks her just that.

Sakura blinks, “what, the crate?”

He tries not to roll his eyes, “yes, the crate. How did you carry the crate all the way here?”

Her lips quirk upwards, “with my hands...”

“I'm serious”.

“...so am I?”

Sasuke exhales, he couldn't tell if she was being obtuse on purpose. So he elaborates, albeit worrying somewhat that she is intentionally playing him. Sasuke tells her the crate is heavy – _very heavy._ He tells her that he finds it remarkable that he'd even seen, with his own eyes, her carrying the object with ease into his house.

Sakura stops, and hesitates, “oh...it isn't that heavy for me”.

“That's your answer?”

“Well...yes?”

Sasuke shakes his head, “unbelievable”.

.

.

Sakura writes down the instructions needed to create the serum. “Just in case,” she tells him, “I'm sure you'll be able to manage”.

Sasuke nods, and takes the note.

“Anyway,” Sakura continues, “I'll make another batch for you, just in case. I'll bring it around some other time”.

Sasuke doesn't tell her otherwise, so she takes that as an affirmation of consent. Thereafter, Sakura states that its should be about time that she leaves.

“You don't have to leave so soon,” says Sasuke.

Sakura shakes her head, “if I don't leave now, it'll be late when I get back”.

Sasuke says nothing, and walks around her form towards the back entrance. On the way, he picks up his blade. He keeps it propped against the wall beside the door. “You enjoy my sword work,” he remarks blankly.

Sakura replies, “sorry – what?”

“My sword work,” he repeats, “when we first met. You were rather strange, what with openly staring at me while I practised, but it was obvious you enjoyed seeing it”.

A faint blush threatens to dust upon her cheeks. Sakura pauses, her eyes grow wide, “what – hey!”

“I'm not trying to insult you–”

“I wasn't... _that_ , weird”.

“Yes, you were”.

She pouts, “I'm...going to leave now”.

With his hand hovering on the doorknob, Sasuke stop, and turns back around, “you're leaving?”

“Like I said, I should get back before its late”.

She knows he can tell that he has done something wrong. She doesn't blame him though, but Sasuke isn't really at fault. Though the reminder of her past actions does bother her somewhat. Herself – _not Sasuke_. Why had she acted in such a fashion?

“I was going to say,” Sasuke continues, “that you can watch, if you like”.

_Watching Sasuke practice his sword work?_ “No thanks”. She is quick to leave after that.

Or so she assumes.

Three steps out the door, and Sakura hears her name being called out behind her. She takes a fourth step, but Sasuke is too quick to fall into line.

“Listen, I wasn't being that serious,” he says, “don't take my words too close to heart”.

Sakura stops walking. She turns to him, and grins, “yea, yea – its fine. But I really need to get back–”

“Why?”

“Because it's getting late”.

“You're welcome to stay here overnight, if you need to”.

Something is off – something is very off. His behaviour, and actions, she cannot decipher the hidden motive behind his offers.

Because there is of course a hidden motive.

There has to be – “sorry, I really should get going, Sasuke-kun”.

.

.

She had only seen Ino this animated once before. When she was trying on her wedding dress. Sakura had never seen her best friend look so beautiful before.

“So, I've set you up on a little date with Lee”.

Sakura snaps out of her reverie, “...I'm sorry – what?!”

Ino chuckles, “Lee, you know. Kind, lovable–”

“I know who you're talking about,” Sakura interjects, “I just – what do you mean you set us up?”

Ino tsk's, “forehead, you can't be this naïve”.

“What?”

“You know what a date is, right?”

“Of course I know!”.

“Good, well, you're going on one”. Ino leans back in her chair, and yawns.

Sakura narrows her eyes, “...no I'm not”.

In a flash, Ino pulls herself up to reply, “yes you are! Come on forehead! I got you great reservations, even I've never eaten in that restaurant before”.

.

.

With true sincerity in her words, whilst clasping her hands in front of her face, Sakura apologises to Lee.

“Sakura-chan, why are you...saying this?”

“Because,” replies Sakura, “Ino is a nuisance, and I'm sorry she dragged you into this whole matchmaking scheme of her”.

Lee blinks, and looks around the office. It is overly crowded, and no one is paying too much attention to them (although a few officers do walk past with a telling grin as their eyes fall on Sakura). Lee shakes his head, “Sakura-chan, are you here to apologise because Ino-san has asked you to? Or are you here on your own behalf”.

Sakura unclasps her hands, sits up straighter, and pauses before she responds, “I'm...here on my own behalf”.

A soft smile dons the police officer's features, “well Sakura-chan, I was once told by someone very wise that there is no need to apologise on behalf of someone who never intended to do so themselves”.

Sakura returns the smiles, “Ah, I see. But this isn't the same thing, Lee”.

“Its not”.

“No, its not,” Sakura bites her lip, whilst in an effort of organise her thoughts, “I...Lee...I don't want you to get the wrong idea –”

Lee holds up his hand, “Sakura-chan, do not worry. I do not bring great intention to this, I merely wanted to enjoy a night out with a dear friend”.

Sakura looks up, with a little more confidence, “oh, right...”

“You needn't worry, and please do not feel any guilt on the matter”.

An image surfaces within her mind; one that coincides with her alleviated anxiety – dark eyes follow her as she moves.

Sakura shakes her head of the thought, “thanks Lee. I'll see you tomorrow night then”.

.

.

An hour before her date, Sakura comes to feel a little excitement. She walked past the restaurant on her way home from work. It was crowded, bright, and lively. Just her kind of place.

And she had never been on a date before. Even though she'd discussed with Lee that this wasn't that kind of date – _still_ , this may be as close as she'd ever get to the fact. At least with the rate she'd been going.

Sakura steps into her flats, and brushes out the small creases in her dress. She'd declined Ino's offer to help her choose what to wear earlier, but now she comes to regret it. _Really_ , she'd never done this before.

With a final glance at her visage in the mirror, Sakura leaves her apartment.

She heads off to their meeting place with a slight bounce in her step.

.

.

As of now, she'd waited for over one hour, and fifteen minutes. Sakura is sure their dinner reservation has expired. Nevertheless, she continues waiting. Because ironically, she feels it would be too rude to just up and leave right now. Who knows, perhaps Lee has a good reason for being so late.

A couple Sakura had seen enter the restaurant after she'd first sat on the half brick wall, waiting for Lee, now leaves. They hold hands, and laugh. They had seen her when they'd entered – now they seen her as they leave.

She must look pathetic.

“Great,” Sakura mumbles dishearteningly.

With a shake of her head, Sakura slaps her cheeks and reminds herself to keep faith. And it works, for a minute.

After that, she settles on a different resolve. If he wasn't going to meet her, then she will just have to go and see him.

.

.

“Lee-san? Oh...no he left to go home a while ago”.

An immediate dead end, “he went home?”

“I'm assuming,” the police officer replies.

The police precinct is near empty, and amongst the few officer's still left on duty, Lee is unfortunately not one of them, “would you mind telling me where he lives”.

The officer shakes his head, “I don't know myself”.

“Wouldn't you guys have a record of your employee's addresses”.

“We do...but I think, giving out that information to a stranger is a breach of some sort of privacy code...maybe”.

Visibly, she deflates, “thank you for your time”.

.

.

“I really don't know how you're doing that”.

“What,” says Sakura, shaking the crate in her arms with ease, “carrying this?”

“Its abnormal”.

“I told you that I'd make you another batch,” Sakura replies with a grin.

Sasuke exhales, and mutters a quick, “come in,” whilst he steps back away from the doorway.

Brushing her feet upon the doormat, Sakura enters the house. She places the crate down next to her original in the living room.

“I don't understand how you aren't bulging with muscle,” Sasuke quickly slips by.

Sakura catches the remark, “who says I'm not?”

Sasuke refrains from snorting, as he takes a quick glance towards his company, before heading to the kitchen. From there he calls out, “you also dressed up”.

Sakura looks down to her attire, “uh...yea. I did”.

Sasuke returns and hands Sakura a bottle of soft drink. She thanks him with a soft tone.

Sasuke opens his beverage, and takes a sip. He asks, “did you have somewhere important to go before this?”

Sakura doesn't open her bottle just yet. She answers him, “um...sort of. Not really. Its not important”.

“Business meeting? Conference?”

Sakura shakes her head, “um...a date”.

Sasuke stops drinking. Sakura looks up to him, then back down to her drink. She opens her bottle, and begins drinking herself– anything really to ignore the sudden silence.

_Why did she say that?_ She knows Sasuke wouldn't be interested in such frivolous matters.

“Did you...enjoy yourself?” Sasuke voice cuts her straight from her thoughts.

“Huh?”

His jaw clenches, “I asked–”

“No wait – I heard you!”

From his expression alone, Sakura can tell she tests his limits. So at the very least, she could answer him genuinely, “actually, I got stood up...”

With a slight delay, Sasuke demeanour changes.

He lets out a chuckle, “you got stood up?”

“Don't tease me!” Sakura pouts.

Sasuke shakes his head, but he holds a face that tells her that he is in fact holding back his laughter. The realisation is quick to dawn on her that perhaps it would have been better if she'd lied. _'Oh yes, I had a very important business meeting'_ – how hard would that have been to say?

“Where were you planning on going?” asks Sasuke.

Despite her continually growing mortification, Sakura meets his gaze to answer him, “a restaurant”.

“What kind?”

“An expensive kind”.

Sasuke side steps her form, and heads to one of his closets. Sakura watches him with confusion.

“Have you eaten yet?” asks Sasuke.

Sakura replies that she hasn't.

“Do you want to grab something to eat then?” Sasuke pulls out a coat.

Sakura blinks, “wha – now?”

“If you don't want to–”

“Of course I want to!” Sakura blurts out – she covers her mouth immediately after the slip up.

Sasuke stops in his action, and no longer holds back his desire to laugh.

Sakura knows for sure even the tips of her ears are red.

.

.

It wasn't a fancy restaurant. In fact, it wasn't _really_ a restaurant.

“Is this a bar?” Sakura asks as the takes in their surroundings. Dark, seedy, but lively.

“Well spotted,” Sasuke remarks sarcastically.

It wasn't a fancy restaurant, but honestly, she did not care. They sit together at a small table, it wobbles on uneven feet. Sakura scans the bar menu. She skips over the alcohol, “oh, they have fried wings,” she exclaims enthusiastically.

The pair are lost to the sounds, and bustles of the bar's crowd. No one pays attention to them. They are to themselves among the sea of people. They speak to each other of the unimportant and frivolous.

Eventually, Sakura comes to tell Sasuke of her project. Of her desires and goals. She has forgotten her worries, and the facade she holds as she speaks freely to the man she'd normally hold such great suspicion against – _sometimes_.

Sasuke listens with full intent.

.

.

“Are you sure you don't want one?” Sakura asks, finishing off her third wing.

“I've eaten enough,” Sasuke replies.

Sakura grins, and reaches for a napkin.

“Hi, I haven't seen you here that often,” a man stops by their table. Handsome, and tall, he looks down to Sakura with a charming grin. She looks up with surprise, Sasuke says nothing as all he is offered is a view from the back.

“Are you new to the village?” the man asks.

Sakura wipes her mouth, “um...not really...”

“Maybe you don't come around here too often then,” smiles the man.

Sakura shrugs, and replies that yes, she does not frequent this place on a regular basis.

The man smiles, and nods, “sorry, I thought I had this more prepared. I saw you from over there,” he points at the bar, “and I though – wow, she's so pretty, I have to talk to her. And now that I'm here, I have nothing to say”.

The man chuckles light-hearteningly, Sakura blushes profusely, “oh, wow – I...”

“Would you like to have a drink?”

She blinks, “a drink...”

“With me,” he smiles.

And Sakura smiles back, “sorry, thank you for the offer but I'm not interested”.

The smiles from the man's face diminishes, but does not leave. He turns to, _finally_ , regard Sasuke; who sits in his chair, a blank expression in return. “I've been sitting here the whole time,” Sasuke remarks flatly.

The man meets that neutral expression. And then, he smirks, “say, you look familiar”.

Sasuke sits up, “you're probably mistaken”.

“No” the man replies, a little louder than the both of them expected. “No, no,” continues the man, “I'm sure I've seen your face somewhere”.

As threatening as the man before her _tries_ to be, Sakura knows of the true threat that is Sasuke; lying dormant before her. There is no need to cause a scene, “actually, I think we're going to leave,” says Sakura. Standing up quickly, and nodding for Sasuke to do the same.

Her follows her lead. Peripherally they can see the man remains in his spot; watching as they both leave. The pair no longer pay attention to his movements as they exit through the back door.

They enter an alley.

They are quiet for a brief second, before Sakura lets out a soft laugh and comments on how creepy that guy was. Sasuke looks back to the door, and then to Sakura, “I – should explain myself”.

Sakura turns to him with a grin, “sorry Sasuke-kun? I didn't hear that”.

He repeats himself, “I should explain”.

Sakura shakes her head, “come on, lets get out of here”.

“Sakura-”

“Sasuke-kun,” she smiles, “its fine. Don't worry about it”.

.

.

But in a way, he does.

“Sakura, why did you accept the deal?”

Calling it a night, Sasuke heads towards the gates of the village. Sakura had insisted on at least seeing him off.

“The deal?”

“Yes, our deal”.

It is possible she is playing the fool – “oh, you mean the whole; I create a way to stop you from transforming, and you... _yea_ ”.

Perhaps she is intentionally teasing, “Sakura, I–”

“What does it matter?” she replies, “I honoured the agreement in the end – ah, we're here”. The pair stop before the open arch of the town. Sakura gives hin a small wave, “I'm not sure when I'll see you again, Sasuke-kun. I've probably made enough serum for you to last quite a while”.

He thinks to himself, why is she doing this? Why does she act this way? “You can come over tomorrow if you like”.

Sakura's lips thin, before she replies, “oh...for what reason”.

He doesn't have one, “I can teach you – how to wield a sword”.

Her expression doesn't change. She continues to smile. It unnerves him somewhat.

“Why would you do that, Sasuke-kun?”

He pauses, “I thought you might want to–”

“No, wait,” Sakura cuts through. She bites her lip, “I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun, there is something I need to know first”.

She shifts her weight nervously on both feet. She struggles to meet his gaze. Sasuke waits for her to find her courage.

“I,” she begins, “I'm...I,” she takes a breath, “is this your way of paying me back?”

He isn't surprised by her perceptiveness, but she is wrong. Its a good try nonetheless, “you never got anything out of this deal,” he states.

“Didn't I?”

“Sakura, you spent all your free time working for a way to help me. And I don't doubt you still work for a way to improve your current situation. But I didn't pay you, I offered you nothing in return–”

“I agreed to the deal nonetheless,” Sakura interjects.

Sasuke exhales, “This deal, in all honestly, was me just using you. I wasn't entirely comfortable to do so initially, and I'm against it more so now. I should pay you back”.

Sakura's expression holds; despite the clear latent desire for her to crumble her demeanour, “and so...you thought...why not spend some time with this girl. Humour her – or whatever”.

Sasuke shoves his right hand into his pocket, “do you think I'm that cruel? To play along, and twist your feelings”.

Yes, he knows of her affections towards him. Sakura is not subtle, or at least, not to him. Her blushes, and missteps tell him all he needs to know. From her eyes that suddenly widen, he can deduce that she did not know that he in fact was aware.

“Wait, you know that I–”

“And its fine,” Sasuke remarks, “its okay”.

Sakura takes half a step back, “I'm sorry”.

“Sakura–”

“But I do think that you could be that cruel”.

He wouldn't lie, that remark stung somewhat, “you think I would play with your feelings like that?”

“Not intentionally,” replies Sakura, “but...you said you wanted to pay me back. And then now–”

“I still haven't paid you back,” Sasuke cuts in; his tone sharp, and to the point. “if I had already done so, I wouldn't be here wanting to know what it is that you want in return”.

“You've already been kind enough to me that–”

“Sakura, enough,” any further, and he knows that the conversation will become unsalvageable. “Why do you think this way? Are you really that unsure of _this_?” Sasuke removes his hand from his pocket, points at himself, then towards her.

He can practically see the moment of clarity within the eyes of the woman before him. Slowly enough, she gets it, “I...oh”.

_She probably hadn't missed the signs, she'd probably_ _ **chose**_ _to ignore them entirely._ Sasuke contemplates the fact, whilst watching, amused, at Sakura's growing blush.

.

.

Thankfully, she had guessed right. Lee had an early shift, “there you are,” she calls out.

Lee snaps his head up from his paperwork, and stiffens to a quickly approaching Sakura.

She stops before his desk, “where were you yesterday?”

Lee's eyes dart quickly to his left, then his right. A few of the officers have noticed the commotion. One or two of them begin whispering to each other. “Sakura-chan, I'm sorry – I...”

“Were you sick?” Sakura asks softly, she takes a seat in the chair before Lee's desk. He doesn't answer, merely stutters. Sakura continues, “did something important come up? I'm not angry or anything...I'm just wondering–”

“I got food poisoning!” Lee blurts out, somewhat overly loud as several of the precinct look his way with a bemused expression.

Lee sinks into his chair.

“What, Lee! I – are you okay now? I know a good remedy that can help settle the stomach if you need–”

Lee holds up his hand; trademark grin dons his lips, “I am fine, Sakura-chan. Truly. I've slept it off, and I feel a lot better. I am sorry I wasn't able to attend our...meeting”.

Sakura shakes her head, “I'm just glad to know you're better now”.

.

.

When she leaves, Lee doesn't immediately restart his work. Instead, he stares at his half finished form. His mind pleads with him to let it go, and continue working.

He doesn't.

“You didn't get food poisoning,” an officer approaches him, and half sits at the edge of his desk.

Lee looks up, and grins, “Akio, how are you?”

The man chuckles, and remarks that attempting to dodge the question is not on the cards.

“Its nothing serious, I assure you,” Lee responds brightly.

“I don't believe you,” Akio remarks, “with a girl who looks like that, you must have an interesting reason for lying to her”.

Lee pulls his chair closer to his desk, and props his elbows up, “Akio, would you believe me if I told you that Sakura-chan and I had a date”.

“Sakura, is that her name?”

“Yes”.

“Well,” Aiko shrugs, “if **you** told me, I probably wouldn't believe it”.

Lee smiles softly, “yes, I suppose you would not”.

.

.

Ino isn't quiet with her reaction to the news that Sakura had been stood up. “Shall I pinch his ear?” she blurts out without consideration.

Sakura giggles, “he was sick, Ino”.

“I bet he was...” grumbles the blonde.

.

.

She doesn't scream, or hide, or run away from his form that stalks the worries and folklores of the village. She calls out his name before she finds him behind the back of his house. His dark visage is the first thing she spots before running up to him and quietly stating, “this is **still** one of the coolest things I've ever seen”.

Really – she was a strange one.

“You think my disfigured form is...cool?”

Sakura raises an eyebrow, “you aren't really that disfigured”.

“Oh, good to hear”.

Sakura crosses her arms over her chest. A look of neutrality dons her features, “so, when did this start?”

Sasuke stretches his shoulders, “when did what start?”

“When did the serum start to become ineffective. It is possible that your body has adjusted, and so the serum has become useless, but maybe–”

“The serum still works,” Sasuke interjects, “I used it just yesterday”. He wasn't exactly planning to head to the village with Sakura in his current form.

“Oh,” she replies, “so it has only become ineffective today?”

“I didn't take the serum today”.

“...what?”

“I don't need to. I'm not going out, and you're my only visitor”.

“But...I thought–”

“I'll take it when I need to,” he ends on a note of finality.

.

.

Sakura is fascinated with his collection of books. For him, they are more for aesthetics. For Sakura, “I think I'm in love”.

His eyes slowly raise to her form, he watches as her finger runs down the spine of one of his older texts. Sasuke turns back to weapon set, “are you here to read, or are you here to learn how to wield a sword”.

Instantaneously, Sakura turns around on her heel, “Sword”.

He smirks, “alright, lets go”.

“Yes sensei!”

Sasuke stops walking, he turns back to Sakura with narrowed eyes, “Sakura – don't call me that”.

She pouts, and he turns back around.

With mischievous intent, Sakura again mutters, albeit far quieter, “yes sensei”.

Sasuke still hears her.

.

.

The relationship between Ino and Sai is one that is private. One where the inner mechanisms are hidden from public.

As most relationships are.

But at the very least, Sakura knows that Ino's laugh, and her smile in this occasion is one of sincerity.

She sees the couple from a distance; her vantage spot is upon one of the grassy hills of the park. Ino and Sai have settled themselves upon a bench, under a tree. They probably consider themselves out of view of the public – which is why Sakura feels somewhat uneasy about watching them from afar.

But she will not do so for much longer.

Ino's giggles, and Sai's terrible attempt at wooing his wife is sweet – in a way. The soft touches, the stolen glances.

It is sweet.

Until it is not.

Until the couple begin to forget that they are in a **public** park.

“oh, _ew_ – pig. Gross,” Sakura is quick to leave the area after that.

.

.

In two months, Sakura's footwork with her sword art has improved dramatically. Sasuke's pallet of taste has increased – with Sakura dragging him to the village every now and then for dinner. And Sakura has gotten rather good at darts.

“Its all in the wrist,” she remarks enthusiastically.

One afternoon, when the sun takes too long to set, and the heat that persists continues to cause a grumble to escape Sasuke every so often – In that afternoon, Sakura offers to make him a smoothie.

“I don't want one,” Sasuke remarks.

Sakura tilts her head, “are you sure?”

Sasuke turns to his side – _why is it so hot?_ “Okay, whatever”.

He listens to the sounds of Sakura standing up, and moving away into the kitchen.

A bottle of clear serum, a beautiful and tenacious girl, an acceptance that finally this may have been what he'd needed.

Not superficially, of course not. For a man who has had his bloodline chosen, a curse put upon him, and a life taken away – for this man, a small bottle of clear serum has given him something that he'd not had for a long time.

It had given him control.

And it wasn't until recently that he had realised his lack thereof.

.

.

Lee had become rather adept at avoiding her. Sure, the situation could play off as circumstantial. And yes, it is entirely possible that Lee had merely just not seen her.

But she wasn't that naïve – Sakura knew when a friend chose the path of wilful ignorance.

Right now, it wasn't that. With Lee sitting on a bench, waiting for – _someone_.

Sakura saw her chance. She could finally approach him. Her resolve was set, until she had taken her first step.

Within that instance, a group of no more than three approached Lee and greeted the man with familiarity. Sakura knew they were also policeman. She watches from afar as Lee's expression lightens up, and he walks away with his fellow co-workers.

She is left standing with her lost intention.

She realises now that it is possible that she'd overlooked something very obvious. She gets it now, but she didn't back then. At the very least, Sakura is grateful to know that Lee is happy without her.

.

.

Tsunade contacts her via letter this time. “She's getting lazier,” Sakura mumbles to herself.

Sasuke finishes his strike, and turns to her, “did you say something?”

Sakura looks up from her scroll, “huh?”

“Did you say something?”

“Oh,” she blinks, “no, nothing”.

Sasuke nods, and returns to his training.

.

.

The next time Sakura comes to visit, she is visibly nervous; something plagues her mind.

Sasuke asks her if it is anything he can help her with.

Sakura laughs, “am I really that obvious?”

He smirks, and repeats his question.

Sakura shuffles her hands that are pushes deep within the pockets of her somewhat oversize jacket. “Um,” she begins, “Sasuke-kun, there is something I wanted to ask you”.

That he knows that issue is regarding him, and that said issue makes Sakura somewhat nervous has now, in fact, given him a taste of that feeling as well. “Okay,” he says, “what is it?”

She looks away, and back to him,”so, feel free to reject me here – if you want. But...I was thinking...”

Her pause, annoyingly, fills his minds of the most hopeful of thoughts. There is a certain way this could end – if he is lucky...

“Sasuke-kun,” she continues, “I was hoping I could get your permission to do a case study on your condition”.

Sasuke opens his mouth, and waits before replying, “...what?”

“A case study”.

“A case study...”

“Yes,” nods Sakura, “well, more to do with how my serum has come to suppress your other form. And I wont use your name or anything. The document will probably be very technical anyway. You can say no if you want. I'll understand if you don't–”

“It's fine,” Sasuke cuts in.

Sakura's expression is quick to brighten, “really?! You're okay with this?”

Honestly, he was. And in retrospect, he'd never technically ' _paid her back'_ for creating the serum in the first place. Their sword lessons, and dinners, were another matter entirely. They didn't count, but this could.

“We'll be even after this,” Sasuke states, whilst Sakura does not even listen.

She is too overjoyed.

Sasuke shakes his head, and smirks, “you really are a huge nerd, aren't you”.

Sakura hears the remark, and grins even wider in return. “Thank you so much Sasuke-kun,” she gushes, and to follow, Sakura approaches quickly for what would have been a hug.

But she trips – and head butts him straight into his chest. The pair fall to the floor.

“Ow,” Sakura softly mumbles. She rubs her head, she has landed on all fours between Sasuke's open legs.

He clears his throat, he didn't expect them to end up so close.

Sakura blinks, and assesses where they have landed. He is before her, so very close. Sasuke raises an eyebrow, and Sakura quickly scampers away. “Ah, sorry,” she adds with haste.

Sasuke stands up, adjusts himself, and walks past her towards the back door. He stops before the arch as Sakura speaks once more, “you know, if this was a movie, I bet you would have kissed me just then”.

She is becoming far more direct. Far more confident. Honestly – he likes it.

Without a word in reply, Sasuke turns back around, and heads straight towards his company. He stops before her, a little too close comfort. Sasuke leans down, and takes in Sakura's shocked expression.

Her blush almost matches the colour of her hair. “Sasuke-kun,” she whispers.

He smirks, and brings up his right hand. He gives her a light flick on the nose.

Her demure expression changes quickly into confusion – Sasuke tries not to laugh as Sakura catches on too quickly, and proceeds to attempt flicking him wherever on his body she can reach.

.

.

As fun as it was to watch Sakura's cheeks puff up with annoyance, he too had his limits.

The following day, Sakura comes to visit him with her draft paper. She hadn't written much, or so she says. Because to Sasuke, than thin pile of stapled paper that she had managed to write was still impressive.

“Actually, I'd started drafting this a bit before yesterday,” Sakura informs him.

Which in itself does nothing to sway his stance. It is still rather impressive.

As Sakura explains what she has so far, Sasuke waits for a brief lull, before leaning towards her, and kissing her softly on the lips.

Her reaction is a sweet mix of surprised, nervous, and happy. The bite of her lip that follows, the gently upward quirk of her lips – he picks up on her signal, and leans into her once more.

.

.

“Hey, forehead, I've got a question for you,” Ino lazily swirls her spoon through her coffee.

Sakura looks at her banana with confusion – who ordered this? She certainly didn't. “What do you want to ask me?”

Ino raises an eyebrow as she watches Sakura prod at her banana, then ignore the fruit entirely. “Uh, right. I was going to ask you something”.

“Which was?”

“...Oh yea,” the blonde chirps, “do you remember, a couple of months back, how you were super fascinated our town's story of the monster in the village”.

Sakura looks up, “...yea...what about it?”

“I was just thinking...”

“About what?”

“About...” Ino pauses, “hey do you ever wander, where the monster goes during the day. We only ever get to see it at night”.

She can feel her shoulders relax, “maybe he's hiding”.

“Where would that thing even hide?”

“Maybe,” Sakura tilts her head, “maybe it...I don't know”.

Ino shrugs, “ah well, it was just a thought”. She swirls her spoon one last time, before taking a quick sip of her drink.

.

.

.

_end_

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, comments are really appreciated :)


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